Several prominent bloggers have begun to chide MSM for its "unfair" (based on some perverted standard not applicable to officially declared candidates) criticism of the unofficial, yet awfully-official-sounding campaign of good ole Fred Thompson.

Heck -- no need for ole Fred to invest in another pickup.  He's already getting a free ride on the MSM express!   And his wishful thinkin' blogging corps are gettin' awfully riled up when anyone dares to criticize ole unofficial, albeit, almost-official Fred.

No matter that the most criticized Republican candidate has been Mitt Romney. 

Obviously it's "ok" to criticize Mitt. 

After all [enter sarcasm zone], the premises behind Mitt's character, professional profile and achievements, his candidacy and his qualifications are hard to believe [exit sarcasm zone] ....   

1) Mitt's Mormon (if you hadn't heard); thus, he doesn't have to fake his spirituality.

2) Mitt's served as a successful conservative governor in one of the most liberal states in the nation.  He doesn't have to qualify his lack of legislative achievement with "...but look at what I voted against!"

3) Mitt has un-matched business-sense and proven organizational successes; he won't have to worry about political appointments or political paybacks when implementing his management team.  And you can bet his administrative advisors and staff won't consist of a montage of who-was-who-in-the-70's-and-80's.

4) Mitt voluntarily assumed leadership of the post-9/11 Olympics when others shirked from national service -- and in the face of disaster, he coordinated global support, comprehensive anti-terrorism security and salvaged financial success from bankruptcy and corruption. 

5) Mitt has proven experience and sound policies on issues which Americans rank as critical in our next Administration:  enforcing current immigration laws, expanding national security, implementing realistic state-level health care programs, ensuring economic stability and growth on the national and global fronts, addressing the Middle East dilemma, maintaining American sovereignty and strengthening traditional American values.

But don't take my word for it.  Venture beyond the headlines.

And don't blame everything "hypocritical" on MSM, liberals or Mitt's potential democrat opponents. The announced (and unannounced) conservative candidates are also well-schooled in hypocrisy ....

"Mitt Romney Best Choice For President"
New Smyrna Beach Observer
Editorial
July 5, 2007

"Although the Florida primary is more than six months away, we believe it is important to get behind the candidate we feel is best suited to be the next president of the United States: Mitt Romney.

"We feel his vision and leadership are vital to providing for our national interests as well as economic stability and growth in a shrinking world market.

"Romney is not the frontrunner in the Republican Party, but he is the clear candidate of choice in looking at former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's liberal politics and Sen. John McCain's old-school Washington insider status."

...

"So why now? Why not wait until the primaries?

"The answer is simple.

"We've seen and heard enough from the debates to know that McCain is yesterday's news and outside of his 9/11 heroics, Giuliani doesn't have a national platform.

"Romney has a strong campaign base.

"The fact that Romney won the governorship in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the most liberal of all the states, speaks volumes about his broad appeal – his Reaganesque appeal, something this country vitally needs.

"With a war raging in Iraq, instability among the [Palestinians] and Israel and Iran's veiled threats and nuclear program, the nation needs to get behind the strongest candidate.

"That candidate is Mitt Romney."

-- and we stand with him.

I never thought I'd say this, but right now -- two of my three heroes are journalists: Cal Thomas and Lou Dobbs.

More later on why.

 Landscapers sheered off the tops of my neighbor's tender onion patch a couple of months ago.  Everyone except the neighbor raised a ruckus over the carelessness of an oaf wearing a headset while swinging a weed-eater.  My neighbor casually re-bedded the clipped shoots and went about the business of nurturing her small garden. 

A few weeks later, she shared a tasty "mess" of garden onions and leafy lettuce with us.  Even though we who care for this elderly lady still shake our heads at the head-set-laden landscapers who grace our lawns weekly, she continues to leave a cooler of water on her deck for them. 

There has to be a moral in there somewhere. 

I'm just too caught up with the amnesty shamnesty and the stealthing of the North American Union to find it right now.  In the interim, I'll turn to the wisdom of two of my favorite national folksters.

Unless he pools political or sings -- Garrison Keillor remains one of my favorite story-tellers. 

Today is Independence Day, celebrating the day in 1776 that the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, and the United States officially broke from the rule of England.

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in a second-floor room on Market Street in Philadelphia, on a little lap desk that he had designed himself. He described the task in a letter to a friend, saying, "The object of the Declaration [is] not to find out new principles, or new arguments... but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent, and to justify ourselves in the independent stand we are compelled to take.... [It is] intended to be an expression of the American mind."

Jefferson finished the first draft after a few days work and sent it to Benjamin Franklin on the morning of June 21, asking for suggestions. Franklin made just a few changes. In the most famous passage, Jefferson had written, "We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable." Franklin changed it to, "We hold these truths to be self-evident."

The Continental Congress made a lot more changes to Jefferson's draft when they considered its adoption. They deleted passages that attacked the British people, rather than just the king, and they cut an entire paragraph in which Jefferson had attacked the king for perpetuating the slave trade. The last five paragraphs were considered too long and rambling, and so they were reduced by half. In total, they made 86 changes, eliminating 480 words and leaving 1,337. Jefferson found the process of revision extremely painful. He later said, "I was sitting by Dr. Franklin, who perceived that I was not insensible to these mutilations."

One of my favorite social observers is Thomas Sowell.  The man is beyond insightful, brilliant and articulate; he's a fellow-tarheel .... 

There is nothing automatic about the way of life achieved in this country. It is very unusual among the nations of the world today and rarer than four-leaf clovers in the long view of history.

It didn't just happen. People made it happen -- and they and those who came after them paid a price in blood and treasure to create and preserve this nation that we now take for granted. More important, this country's survival is not automatic. What we do will determine that. Too many Americans today are not only unconcerned about what it will take to preserve this country but are busy dismantling the things that make it America.

You may have suspected that I'm overly protective of neighbors, "mutilated" onions (as compared with Jefferson's writing) or that I erred in not capitalizing the t in "tarheel" above. 

It was all deliberate.  

I'm just "made" that way -- borrowing a reference from Dr. Sowell's article.   

Plus, I didn't want my affinity for my state to be confused with an affinity for the UNC Tarheels. 

And that -- for those paying attention -- is no more a digression or loose association or idiosyncrasy than is being dismayed that some oaf with a headset and a weedeater would be so callous and irresponsible as to sheer off my neighbor's onion sprouts.

So read all of Sowell's article.  He's a wise man ... and God knows -- as we celebrate our Nation's Independence, we need a few more wise men reminding us what we celebrate.

And, yes -- on this Fourth of July, I'm having hotdogs again -- this time, loaded with fresh onions from my neighbor's garden.

Why did the White House join Ted Kennedy in forging an Immigration Reform Bill behind closed doors?

The answer may be HERE. 

The North American Union is also a project that has been orchestrated by big business -- with little public exposure or legislative over-sight.

Open borders are critical to the goals of the North American Union -- and those goals have little to nothing to do with our national security.

After all the howling about Mitt Romney's dog being transported in a kennel atop his station wagon (dredged outta the news files from 25 years ago -- yawn), you should have expected a blog to crop up. 

You'll find it at Mutts4Mitt ... cute cute cute. 

 I mean, woof woof woof.

** I find it rather humorous that dems and opponents have dug up an old story about Mitt strapping the family dog's kennel to the top of the family station wagon 24-25 years ago.

Makes sense, actually.  How did large families travel with family pets before 15 passenger vans or U-Haul trailers or dog kennels secured to the back of pick-up trucks? 

What media is not promoting is that he built a wind and weather screen for the pooch. 

After all -- how much room can there be in a station wagon with 5 kids who want to take the dog on vacation?  If they had taken Ann's horse, they'd have towed it behind in a trailer, wouldn't they? 

Personally, my 60-pound dog always traveled in style in the back of the car/jeep.  But I don't have 5 kids.  Or a horse. 

Which reminds me.  I've always driven cross-country with muh dawg because of the cruelty and danger in placing an animal in aircraft cargo. 

Better luck with the next old Mitt story you drag out, folks.   

** I have no doubt that the 30+ phone calls I made to Senators last week may have added some nuisance to the Capitol phone exchange.   I'm calling again this week to  express a "thank you" with a polite request for public discourse before anyone crafts the next reform bill.   Ringadingding to the dingdongs who got us into that mess, anyway.

I'm hanging on to the image the NYT posted with their description of snaggle-toofed, ciggy smoking, Wal-Mart shopping anti-immigration stereotypes.  Heck -- I'm more a Target shopper, personally.   Plus I've got all my own teef.  My legally immigrated Hispanic neighbors who also opposed the reform bill weren't impressed, either.  He loves to browse at Sam's while his wife  ambles the aisles at Wal-mart. 

Which reminds me of second-hand consignment shops --

Maybe the recent amnesty bill failure will finally cause ole Ted the Red Kennedy to hang it up.   More fresh air and less time in the back room will go a long way toward lower that blood pressure.  I don't know whether it's his alcohol pallor or whether his pants and his tie that are too tight, but you could light a ciggy off that man's face when he gets riled.  <coughcough>

** Can't close without a reference to the campaigns coming to a local tree stump near you.

McCain is not just toast, he's burned toast.  Head on home, John-boy.  Don't make us displace our disappointment with annoyance.

John's good buddy Fred may have more than one or two reasons to delay his delaying .... With his staff explaining that Fred is just "rusty" when it comes to campaigning, astute observers are notinging that ole Fred is a bit ambling, hesitant and not as smooth in his delivery as he once was.  Guess that comes from NOT having a cue card behind the camera.  Scripts are easy to follow.  Unlike what the media appears to do for Hilliary, I don't think ole Fred will be given the questions before the interview. 

Lights.  Camera.  Action!  You're on your own, Fred.  No commercial time-outs to powder that glistening forehead, now, fella. 

Suggestion:  use that new building you're moving into for a law office-consulting firm and return those contributions to the good folks who expected you to be Reagan-reincarnate.  You're not Ronald Reagan, Fred.  And if you keep it up, you're gonna fall like Sen. Dole.  (Difference:  Dole's TV life came AFTER his defeat .... somehow, however, I can't see Fred! promoting erectile dysfunction pills.  Not in front of the camera, that is.  Fred's more likely to *wink* when he sees one of his good ole buds oggling his trophy wife.)

Since the Senate elitists have sold legal citizens out to big business, who among the Senate has the balls to stand up for ALL Americans????

I'm sending a FREE (numbersusa.com) fax to each Senator and Representative asking that someone stand up and sponsor an Equity Clause for all Americans .... After all --- legal citizens are going to be paying the bill for all the pork and rinds being dumped on us by the Senate. 

This will be sent to the President and each Congressman:

"Every citizen of the United States shall be entitled to the same treatment for taxation liability, medical and educational benefits as this immigration reform bill provides for individuals who have entered the United States illegally."

Of course, if no one responds, I'm willing to hit the streets with others who are also tired of our self-serving political elitists who respond only to big business and special interest groups.

If you missed his National Press Club speech today --- you should take the time to listen now.

Lou Dobbs' knows the disasterous ramifications of the Senate's  Immigration Reform legislation.

The White House and it's coalition barginers have seriously underestimated the cost of accommodating (i.e., granting amnesty) to our current level of illegal immigrants. 

How much?  Trillions.  Trillions of dollars. 

Read it and weep.  But call or fax your Senator for free NOW.